Ironing machine



June 22, 1937.

C. E. CLEMENT IRONING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVERTER. wfil MM Arrrs June 22, 1937. c, CLEMENT 2,084,383

IRONING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invznrua- (lull 5 W A: TYE

Patented June 22, 1937 IRONING MACHINE Cecil E. Clement, Newton, Iowa Application October 15,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to power driven rollironers and more particularly to that type of ironer which is conventionally used for domestic ironing.

The invention has for its principal object the provision of novel means for adjusting the contact pressure between an ironing shoe and roller.

Another object is to provide means whereby the contact pressure may be quickly and con- 0 veniently adjusted during practical use of the ironer.

A further object is to combine the adjustment means and safety release means in a single mechanism, whereby operation of the adjustment means or safety release means is accomplished by manipulation of a single handle.

Other objects will appear in the following description and accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a rear side elevational view of the ironer to be described;

Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevational view of adjustment and release mechanism to be described, taken from line 22 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end elevation of the ironer as viewed from the left in Figl, with certain cover portions broken away to permit clear view of underlying parts, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing parts to be described, the same being taken from line 44 in Fig. 3.

Before proceeding with the description, it may be in order to state that ironing machines of the domestic type are used for ironing garments or materials of great variety, the extremes of which might be represented by a lady's fine handkerchief, ironed flat, and a heavy woolen blanket,

ironed folded. Obviously, a great variation in thickness is here represented.

In the case of a fiat handkerchief, the ironing shoe will rest in a position quite close to the roll, whereas with a heavy folded blanket, the shoe will occupy a position a substantial distance from the roll.

Considering this, it will be apparent that since the roll is usually mounted upon fixed bearings,.

the shoe must be so mounted that ironing pressure may be exerted in a yielding manner in order to accommodate materials of varying thickness.

In order to accomplish this yielding pressure, the structure of conventional ironing machines is so arranged that spring coupling means is inserted in the shoe operating mechanism in such a manner that while the shoe operating mecha- 55 nism itself may be operated in a rigid manner,

1934, Serial No. 148,280

connection between the mechanism and shoe may be such that the shoe has a yielding relationship to the roll.

Practical considerations require that the spring coupling means have substantial strength in order that suitable contact pressure may be maintained as between the ironing roll and shoe.

It will be apparent that if the spring coupling means be so adjusted that suitable ironing pressure is applied to the shoe when the shoe occupies a position in close proximity to the roll, as in the case of a handkerchief, insertion of a heavy folded blanket will cause the shoe to occupy a position a considerable distance from the roll, therefore the spring coupling means must, for example, be more highly compressed, which compression would react upon the shoe in such a manner'that the pressure exerted upon the blanket may be sufficiently excessive to make proper ironing or operation of the ironing mechanism diflicult.

It is an object of this invention to provide manual means, inserted between the spring coupling means above noted and the ironing shoe whereby the operator of an ironing machine may adjust the pressure of the shoe, cooperatively with the spring coupling means, to accomplish satisfactory ironing pressure in accordance with requirements of thickness, quality or other considerations.

Proceeding with the description, Fig. 1 discloses an ironing machine unit having a housing Ill by means of which a motor I l and an ironing roller I2 is supported upon a suitable base IS.

A tubular shaft H, to be referred to later, is supported at one end by a bearing formed in the housing l0 and at the opposite end by an outboard bearing support I5 secured to base l3.

Near the support I5 is an arm member l6 and a lever member 11. Arm I6 is secured to shaft l4.

Lever I! is rotatably mounted upon shaft l4 and, as best shown in Fig. 2, has a portion I8 extending upwardly and inwardly toward roller 12 carrying a lever structure including a pin l9 upon which is rotatably mounted a cam member 20, to be referred to later, and the supporting bracket lZ'of an ironing shoe 12'. By means of its supportupon pin I9, shoe I2" is adapted to contact with-ironing roll I! as indicated in Fi'g'. 2..

Lever I! also carries a pin 2| upon which is pivotally supported a cradle member 22.

An angularly extending portion 23 of cradle member 22 supports a coil spring 24, the opposite end of which is confined by the head of a 2 aoecsss bolt member ll. The body of bolt 2| passes through the portion 28 in slidable relation thereto and also through the back web portion of lever II to terminate in a threaded portion by means 6 of which a nut 28 is secured to abut the bolt against the thrust action of spring 24.

It will be apparent that spring 24, mounted as shown. tends to hold lever II in predetermined position in tensioned relation to arm IO, and

10 that cam 20 is operable, when abutting pin 21, which is secured in arm it, to force arms II and I1 apart, thus holding spring 24 in somewhat compressed position.

Cam 1., as here illustrated, has two indents II 15 and II, each indent occupying diflereni: positions relative to the center of pin is.

Cam It is included in a lever structure which also includes a manually operable arm 8' by means of which the cam 20 may be rotated upon pin I! to position either of indents I. or 29 in register with pin 21 of lever ll, to adjust the position of arm I. relative to lever II, which movement is induced by spring 24 as already noted.

35 Considering for the moment that arm II is stationary, it will be apparent that with arm ll positioned as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, indent 28 will be in register with pin 21 whereby pressure of predetermined extent will be set 30 up as between arm I! and ironing roll l2 through the ironing shoe l2", whereas with arm it moved to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 2, indent 28, which is somewhat closer to pin is, will allow arm Ii to move toward roll II (this 35 movement being brought about by spring is) thus allowing spring 24 to relax somewhat whereby pressure of the shoe upon the roll is reduced.

Obviously continued backward movement of arm III will rotate cam II to a position where 40 the cam is entirely out of contact with pin 2], in which case spring 24 may operate to rotate lever ll backwardly upon shaft It, toward arm It, to withdraw shoe l2" away from roll i2.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that within 45 housing II, the shaft It carries an aillxed arm ll to which is pivotally connected a cradle member 82.

Extending within the lower end of cradle 32 is a bolt extension I! of an eccentric band mem- 50 ber 84.

Between the head of bolt is and connecting portion of cradle 32 is a compression spring II, best shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 indicates an eccentric band member 84 55 rotatably mounted upon an eccentric member 38.

Means for rotating eccentric 38 is provided by motor i I through worm ll acting upon a worm gear ll which rotates upon the same axial center as eccentric ll. 7

so The eccentric rotating mechanism, not being a part of this invention, will not be described further than to say that suitable clutching mechanism is disposed between worm gear I. and eccentric 36, whereby the eccentric may be rotated 05 to the position shown in Fig. 3 to rotate arm 8|, shaft l4 and arm I, together with the shoe mechanism above described to place shoe II" in contact with roll l2.

Subsequent operation of the eccentric would 7 result in rotation thereof to a position diametrically opposite the position shown, whereby the described shoe mechanism would be operated to withdraw shoe i2" away from the ironing roll. A third operation of the eccentric would place it 75 again in original p i i as in F g. 3, Thus, in-

termittent rotation of the eccentric results in alternately placing the ironing shoe in contact 7 with the ironing roll and withdrawing it therefrom.

The relative adiustment of themechanism described is such that when the eccentric is placed as shown in Fig. 8, with shoe I!" in contact with roll it, the length of stroke of the eccentric is somewhat more than is necessary to place shoe I!" in contact with roll l2. Thus, when the parts are placed as shown, the shoe is brought into contact with the roll before the eccentric has completed its stroke, with the result that when the movement of the arm mechanism is arrested by the, shoe's coming into contact with the roll, continued movement of the eccentric withdraws the bolt extension it from the cradle :2 to compress spring 8|. Spring II and associated parts thus become a means whereby shoe i2" is resiliently held in pressure contact with the ironing roller.

The eifect of placing materials of variable thickness between the ironing shoe and roll has already been noted. Obviously, withspring ll holding the shoe in contact with the roll, as shown in Fig. 3, with suilicient pressure to properly iron thin materials, the introduction of comparatively thick material therebetween would result in comparatively extensive compression of spring ll with consequent excessive pressure upon the shoe.

In practical use, for ironing comparatively thin materials, the hand arm 8. would be placed as shown in dotted lines inPig. 2, with indent II in engagement with pin 21, thus giving maximum as pressure between shoe l2" and roll II, when the same are in close proximity, whereas when thick materials are to be ironed. lever ll may be moved to the position shown in solid lines. with indent It in engagement with pin 21 to permit the shoe 0 to occupy a position more or less distant from the shoe without excessively compressing spring 35. Obviously, any number oi indents maybe provided to bring about graduated adjustment.

Hand arm 30 is also available to remove the shoe from the roll by continued backward movement as already described.

What I claim is:

1. In an honing machine of the class described,

the combination of an ironing roll, a shoe cooperatively supported therewith, mechanism for moving the shoe into contact with the roll including pressure means for resiliently holding the shoe in pressure relation with the roll, .and a manually operable cam mechanism intermediate the pressure means and shoe for adjusting the pressure of the shoe upon the roll without removing all pressure.

2. In a power driven ironing machine, the combination of an ironing roll, an ironing shoe, o0 mechanism for revolving the ironing roll and actuating the shoe into and out of pressure contact with the roll. a-spring interposed-in the, shoe actuating mechanism to make the contact between the shoe and roll resilient, and a manually operable cam interposed in the shoe actuating mechanism to adiust and relieve the pressure between the roll and shoe.

3. In a power driven ironing machine, the combination of an ironing roll, an ironing shoe, meoiianism for revolving the ironing roll and actuating pressure contact between the shoe and the roll, a spring interposed in the shoe actuating mechanism to make the contact between the shoe and rollresilient. and a manuaiiyoperable cam interposed in the shoe actuating mechanism to adjust and relieve the pressure between the v ing mechanism to make the contact between the shoe and roll resilient, and a manually operable cam with multiple stages interposed in the shoe actuating mechanism to adjust and relieve the pressure between the roll and shoe for variable 5 thicknesses of garments or to relieve all pressure.

CECIL E. CLEMENT. 

